How high to hang curtains: pole height and width in cm

Curtains hung just above the window, on a pole that stops at the frame, make a window look smaller and a ceiling look lower. Hang them higher and wider, and the same window looks bigger, with more glass showing when the curtains are open. This page gives the numbers in centimetres, with inches in brackets, and shows how the UK's ready-made curtain drops decide where the pole can go.

The numbers, at a glance

How high: 15 cm, or higher

UK shops give one figure: fit the pole at least 15 cm (6 in) above the top of the window frame. That clears the frame and leaves room for the brackets. Terry's Fabrics calls 15–20 cm the norm, and says 8–10 cm is enough to fit a pole where space is tight, for example under a low ceiling or a beam.

Designers usually go higher. Havenly's guide puts the pole about two thirds of the way from the top of the window to the ceiling, or a few inches below the ceiling in a standard-height room. The idea is that the eye reads the curtains as the size of the window, so a taller curtain makes a taller window.

To find the two-thirds height, measure from the top of the window frame to the ceiling, take two thirds of it, and add it to the window height. With the window top at 205 cm and the ceiling at 240 cm, that gap is 35 cm, two thirds is about 23 cm, and the pole goes at about 228 cm.

Either way, measure from the frame, not the glass, and check the wall above it. A concrete lintel or a coving can decide the height for you.

The drop decides the height

Ready-made curtains in UK shops come in a few fixed drops (the length from the top of the curtain to the hem): 137 cm (54 in), 183 cm (72 in, called 182 cm at some shops), 229 cm (90 in) and, in some ranges, 274 cm (108 in). Because the drop is fixed, it ties the pole height to where the hem ends.

For eyelet curtains, Dunelm measures the drop from the top of the pole. So the arithmetic is simple: top of the pole = height of the hem + the drop. Here it is for the three usual hems, with a sill at 90 cm from the floor:

Read across for your window. In a room 2.4 m high, a floor-length eyelet curtain of 229 cm puts the pole top at 230 cm, and a sill-length one of 137 cm puts it at 228 cm. Both land about 10 cm below the ceiling, which is why those two drops suit so many British rooms. A 183 cm curtain to the floor puts the pole at 184 cm, below the top of most windows, so that drop is mostly for shorter windows, or for below-sill curtains in high-ceilinged rooms.

Pencil pleat curtains on rings are measured from the eye of the ring, or from the top of a track. The pole sits above the eyes, so add the distance from the eye to the top of the pole to the figures above. Measure your own rings: it is usually a few centimetres.

If no drop fits, buy the next one up and shorten it. Dunelm's worked example does the same: it picks the next standard drop above the measurement.

Worked examples for real rooms

• A new-build living room, 2.4 m high. Many new homes have ceilings of about 2.4 m. The national space standard asks for at least 2.3 m over most of the floor. Say the window is 120 cm wide with its top at 205 cm. Put the pole top at 230 cm and hang 229 cm eyelet curtains: they reach 1 cm above the floor with no hemming. That is also the two-thirds height, within 2 cm.
• A Victorian terrace, 2.9 m high. Say a sash window's top is at 250 cm. The 15 cm rule puts the pole top at 265 cm, which needs a drop of 264 cm: buy 274 cm and take up 10 cm. Or raise the pole top to 275 cm, 25 cm above the window and about two thirds of the way to the ceiling, and the 274 cm drop fits as it comes.
• A radiator under the window. Floor-length curtains over a radiator can trap its heat behind them. Hang sill-length curtains instead. With the sill at 90 cm, a 137 cm eyelet drop puts the pole top at 228 cm, 23 cm above a 205 cm window. Blinds Direct suggests leaving 1–3 cm between the hem and the top of a radiator.
• A cottage, 2.2 m high. Say the window top is at 190 cm. The pole top goes at about 205 cm, and floor-length eyelets need a 204 cm drop. No ready-made drop is close: shorten a 229 cm pair by 25 cm, or have them made to measure.

How wide should a curtain pole be?

Wide enough that the curtains, when open, stack on the wall rather than over the glass. UK shops say 15–20 cm past each side of the window, so the pole is the window's width plus 30–40 cm. Dunelm's rule with no pole fitted is to measure the window and add 40 cm. The finials go beyond that, so check the wall space at each end, and the distance to a corner or an alcove.

How much room the curtains need depends on their heading, the way the top is gathered. Direct Fabrics gives about 15 cm of stack-back for each width of fabric in an eyelet curtain, and about 25 cm for a pencil pleat. A ready-made pair 168 cm wide each holds about 2.5 widths of 137 cm fabric. By our arithmetic, that is about 18 cm of stack at each end for eyelets, and about 31 cm for pencil pleats.

So for eyelets, 20 cm each side is plenty. For pencil pleats, or thick blackout and thermal linings, Poles and Blinds suggests 25–30 cm each side, which keeps the stack off the glass.

On the wall, Dunelm's fitting guide puts the brackets 3.5 cm in from the ends of the pole. If your pole comes with a third bracket, it goes in the middle, above the centre of the window.

Measure in five steps

1. Measure the window's width across the frame, and the height from the floor to the top of the frame.
2. Measure from the top of the frame to the ceiling, and note any coving, beam or lintel.
3. Choose the hem: 1 cm above the floor, 1 cm above the sill, or 15 cm below it.
4. Pick the pole height from the drop table above, at least 15 cm above the frame.
5. Pick the pole width: the window plus 30–40 cm, or plus 50–60 cm for pencil pleats and heavy linings. Then buy curtains each about as wide as the pole.

Dunelm's fitting guide also suggests buying the curtains before you fix the pole, and holding them up to mark the height, about 1.25 cm (½ in) off the floor. That catches a drop that is a centimetre or two off before you drill.

Five mistakes we see

1. The pole on the frame. A pole 5 cm above the window shows a strip of light above the curtains and makes the window look short.
2. A pole as wide as the window. The open curtains then cover the edges of the glass, and the window looks narrower than it is.
3. Curtains that stop short of the floor. A floor-length curtain 10 cm too short looks like a mistake. Go to the floor, the sill or 15 cm below it, not in between.
4. Measuring the window instead of the pole. Ready-made widths are matched to the pole, not the window.
5. The pole first, the curtains second. Fixed drops mean the pole height follows the curtains. Choose them together.

Renting? Many tenancies need the landlord's say-so before you drill. Our guide to decorating a rented flat covers what you can change without it. Hanging art on the same wall? The picture height calculator works out the hook height. And our small living room layouts show where the sofa goes once the window is dressed.

Hang them in your room before you drill

A tape measure gives you the window. What it cannot show you is how the room looks with the pole 10 cm higher, or the curtains two shades darker than the walls.

Snuug, the iPhone room app, shows you. Walk once round your room with your iPhone, and Snuug rebuilds it in 3D, to within about 3% of its real size in our tests of ten homes. Paint the walls before you buy a tin, paste a shop link and see a new piece in your room, and move every piece in 5 cm steps. Members get a Room Analysis that checks rules like this one, in centimetres, with a plan that starts with the free fixes. Our team checks every room by hand, and your first room is free.

Questions

How high above the window should a curtain pole be?

At least 15 cm (6 in) above the top of the window frame, which is what Dunelm and most UK shops advise. Terry's Fabrics calls 15–20 cm the norm, and 8–10 cm the least that fits a pole when space is tight. Designers often go higher, about two thirds of the way to the ceiling.

How wide should a curtain pole be?

The width of the window plus 30–40 cm, so it runs 15–20 cm past each side, not counting the finials. Heavy, blackout or pencil pleat curtains stack wider, so give them 25–30 cm each side. Dunelm's rule with no pole fitted: measure the window and add 40 cm.

Should curtains touch the floor?

Dunelm advises floor-length curtains end 1 cm above the floor, so they hang straight and stay clean. For a puddled look, they end 2–7 cm longer than the floor. Curtains that stop well short of the floor tend to look like a mistake.

How do I measure the drop for eyelet curtains?

From the top of the pole to where you want the hem: 1 cm above the floor, 1 cm above the sill, or about 15 cm below the sill. For pencil pleat curtains on rings, measure from the eye of the ring instead, or from the top of a track.

Should curtains be hung close to the ceiling?

In a room about 2.4 m high, often yes. With the window top at about 205 cm, a pole 10 cm below the ceiling is also about two thirds of the way up, and a 229 cm ready-made eyelet curtain then reaches the floor without shortening.

What size curtains for a 120 cm wide window?

A pole of about 150–160 cm, then ready-made curtains 168 cm (66 in) wide each, which suit poles of about 122–198 cm. For the drop, measure from your pole: 229 cm (90 in) suits floor-length eyelets with the pole top at 230 cm.

Editorial notes

Written by the Snuug team and checked on 1 November 2026. A number with no source beside it is a designers' rule of thumb, not a study.

1. Dunelm, How to measure for curtains (window + 40 cm; drop for eyelet and pencil pleat; 1 cm above the floor or sill; 15 cm below the sill; 2x and 2.5x fullness; checked 31 Oct 2026)
2. Dunelm Ireland (10 Nov 2018), How to put up a curtain pole (at least 15 cm above and wider than the window; brackets 3.5 cm from the ends)
3. Dunelm Ireland, How to measure curtains (drops of 137, 182, 229 and 274 cm; 15 cm above the window, 15–25 cm each side; checked 31 Oct 2026)
4. Blinds Direct, How to measure for curtains (ready-made 117, 168 and 229 cm wide by 137, 183 and 229 cm drop; 1.25 cm above the floor; 15–20 cm below the sill; checked 31 Oct 2026)
5. Havenly (Clark, 3 Jun 2025, updated 10 Jun 2026), How to hang curtains like an interior designer (two thirds of the way to the ceiling; at least 6 in past each side)
6. Terry's Fabrics, How to measure your window for curtain poles (15–20 cm above the window; 8–10 cm when space is tight). The page returned HTTP 429 to us; figures from search summaries, checked 31 Oct 2026
7. Argos, Curtain pole buying guide (15–20 cm each side). The page refused our fetch; figure from search summaries, checked 31 Oct 2026
8. Poles and Blinds, Extra long curtain poles guide (15 cm each side for small windows, 20 cm medium, 25–30 cm for large windows or heavy curtains). The page refused our fetch; figures from search summaries, checked 31 Oct 2026
9. Direct Fabrics, Understanding curtain stacking (stack-back about 15 cm per fabric width for eyelet, 25 cm for pencil pleat). The page refused our fetch; figures from search summaries, checked 31 Oct 2026
10. Screwfix, How to measure curtains (which curtain width suits which pole). The page refused our fetch; figures from search summaries, checked 31 Oct 2026
11. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2015, amended 2016), Technical housing standards: nationally described space standard (at least 2.3 m floor to ceiling for 75% of the floor area)